


A Capitol Fourth

by starlight_and_seafire



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Fourth of July, Marriage Proposal, Modern Political AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-09 14:28:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19477801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlight_and_seafire/pseuds/starlight_and_seafire
Summary: Congressman Poe Dameron and Rey Kenobi come together to put on a Fourth of July charity baseball game to raise money for children of military veterans. After a successful event and a joyful celebration with friends and family, Poe envisions one more way that he and Rey can come together once again.





	A Capitol Fourth

**Author's Note:**

> Although I have already written a modern political AU with “A Political Affair,” I then got hit with the idea for this little bit of fluff which also worked best in a modern political AU. 
> 
> So, just to be clear, this story is *not* set in the “A Political Affair” universe, even though some details overlap. That story already has its own proposal (pro-poe-sal, hehehe).
> 
> Now that’s out of the way, I hope you enjoy!

“And the next batter up,” calls the booming voice from the PA system, “is Congressman Poe Dameron.”

A cheer rises from the large crowd, as it had the last time he was at bat, as it had every time anyone had stepped up to the plate. Poe shoots a smile towards his dad when he hears the soft yip from his corgi, BB, who’s sitting next to his father right above the dugout. It’s a charity baseball game, the crowd is pumped, and it’s a friendly atmosphere all around.

Well, mostly.

“Hey, batter, you gonna strike out again? Maybe you need your eyes checked, old man,” comes the heckling voice emanating from the pitcher’s mound. The crowd is much too loud for anyone in the stands to hear, but the catcher is close enough to hear the words and chuckles.

Poe just stops and raises an eyebrow at the pitcher who promptly blows him a kiss.

He pretends to catch it and blows one back, the crowd practically cooing at the sweet moment between the two.

At the same time, Poe’s mind whirrs at possible comebacks when it’s his turn to heckle her. He steps up to the plate and his girlfriend’s face slides from a teasing grin into something a little more serious as she prepares to throw the ball.

Poe similarly becomes more focused as he awaits the pitch. He knows better than to underestimate Rey’s innate competitiveness.

The ball whips past him into the catcher’s mitt with unerring accuracy anyway, and the umpire calls the first strike.

On the last pitch, he does manage to hit it well enough to make it to first base. Rey just points to her eyes and then his, causing the crowd to laugh.

It’s a charity game, and while a big part of the event is, of course, the game itself, they all know there’s a bit of showmanship involved as well. Nothing like getting the crowd in a good mood to make them crack their wallets open a little wider.

Plus, it’s just fun.

Poe makes a little “bring it on” gesture, and the good mood lingers as the next batter steps up to the plate, a local weatherman known both for his charity work and his yearly, wildly wacky Halloween costumes that he wears for that day’s newscast as well as to the large party he throws for the local children’s hospital.

Although Poe’s name is arguably the biggest one there, and officially the headliner, the event is made up of local celebrities, a few state representatives from the area, and other local do-gooders. They even got President Santos’ chief of staff, who is arguably the second biggest name there, to attend, though Poe’s still not really certain how he managed to get even a small part of the day off to attend the game, considering the President’s Fourth of July schedule.

Otherwise, the teams were fleshed out with employees of the two organizations that brought the event together. One team was filled with employees of Poe’s old organization which served military veterans that he had led before becoming a congressman. The other included staffers from the non-profit Rey worked at, which advocated on behalf of children and foster care policy.

The idea for the charity baseball game was Rey’s, and with the help of both organizations and their connections, the event was raising money to support children of military personnel currently serving overseas. It was a way to do some extra good, Rey had said, with the skills and connections they both had, and this way they could bring their individual causes together to benefit a whole new set of people.

Plus, a Fourth of July baseball game was just _fun_.

When she had first told him about her idea, he immediately dipped her backwards and soundly kissed her. Not only was his girlfriend insanely competent and incredibly brilliant - not to mention absolutely gorgeous - but she also had one of the best hearts of anyone he knew.

Not that the information was new to him. He had learned all that within moments of meeting her. He just liked showing her. She deserved all the love and affection in the world . . . even if she scooped up the ball the last batter hit and tossed it to the second baseman who promptly tagged him out.

He pretends to stagger off the field, his hand clutched over his heart, as if he was mortally wounded.

She raises her hands in victory, even if it was just the victory of seeing him off the field, and the crowd ate it up, cheering her wildly.

The crowd clearly loves her, much more than it does him. Poe just grins and thinks that’s the way it ought to be.

Then he sees his dad hooting and hollering Rey’s name and BB waggling his behind in excitement.

“Et tu, Kes? And you, BB?”

Kes just shrugs and smirks, as if saying _“What else did you expect?”_

 _Fair enough_ , he thinks. _Fair enough._

\--

“Okay, I have an idea,” Snap says, placing his plate and a drink down on the picnic table. “We just have to steal Rey away and have her join our organization so she can be on our team next year.”

Rey giggles as she leans further into Poe, who sits next to her with an arm wrapped around her shoulders, their own food and drinks sitting in front of them. “Sorry, Snap, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

“Are you sure? Paige brings in donuts for the office every Friday,” he says, waving his hot dog at her.

“Tempting, but I’ll have to decline for now.”

“You’re missing the real point, Snap. If she joins our team, then she’ll be playing on the same team as Poe, and that means she won’t be able to kick his ass here next year. And you know how much she enjoys that,” Jess says with a sly grin.

Poe barks out a laugh, even as Rey nods and says, “Exactly. You got me there, Jess.”

Rey’s team had ended up handily beating Poe’s, 8-3, not that it meant much more than bragging rights. As planned, the losing team’s captain stood up to the microphone – in this case, Poe himself – and issued a challenge to the other side for a rematch the following year.

And, exactly as planned, the winning team accepted.

The first charity baseball game was a success, and Poe looked forward to the now annual event. It was a good event for the community and for the charity they supported.

Now that the event had wrapped up though, Poe and the rest of them had the rest of the afternoon and evening free. With the community stadium being located so close by, they relocated to a local park.

Kes had brought his grill and was currently flipping hamburgers and hot dogs for the small group while BB stood guard by his heels for dropped food. Finn’s chatting with Kes, no doubt about the latest soccer match and Poe can’t help but grin at the two. Once they discovered the mutual interest, they bonded immediately, even exchanging texts and emails to discuss the most recent soccer-related news.

Paige and Rose and Karé sit nearby, sprawled out on a large blanket, red solo cups of wine in their hands. Poe’s happy to see them all relaxed and smiling, knowing that all three of them have undertaken big job changes recently and all have risen to the challenge. He can’t wait to see how far they will all go, how much good they could do in the world.

Kaydel joins the three women a moment later, finally arriving after completing the last of the press following the game where she had also acted as the announcer, in typical Kaydel multi-tasking fashion. He thinks the only thing that would make the picture fully complete would be if Leia and Han could join them.

But they’re vacationing in Europe, so he really can’t blame them.

“I’m going to see if Kes and Finn need any help at the grill,” Rey says, although Poe knows the real reason she’s heading over there. She presses a quick kiss to Poe’s cheek, and flips off Snap and Jess when they practically coo at them, before she gets up and heads towards the grill, immediately flopping down next to the corgi.

Finn and Kes just laugh at the way BB’s attention is suddenly diverted from the grill, his backside waggling so energetically he looks almost in a frenzy. And when Kes passes a hot dog down to Rey to feed to BB, he takes the proffered food almost ecstatically, wolfing it down before plopping down on his back before Rey, as if he was too overwhelmed by it all and fell into a swoon.

Poe watches them fondly. He can’t help but amend his list from earlier, when he was thinking about all of Rey’s best qualities, all the things he loved about her. She was insanely competent and brilliant, gorgeous, on the outside, yes, but more importantly on the inside, as she had one of the best, sweetest, and most loving hearts of anyone he knew. Plus, she was fun-loving and goofy to boot.

He’s been thinking about all that a lot lately, and he’s thinking his heart just might burst from how much he loves her.

He’s so focused on her that he’s surprised when he sees his father approaching the picnic table. His eyes flit back to the grill, where Finn now stands in front of the last of the hot dogs and hamburgers and vegetables, plus the pineapple which Poe adores, that still need grilling.

“What?” Poe stutters out, before staring at Kes in shock. “You never trust anyone else to do the grilling.”

“That kid has a good head on his shoulders and a good sense of taste,” Kes says, cracking open a beer as he sits down at the picnic table with them. “Plus, I trust him around the fire.”

Poe sighs heavily, mock-irritated. “Just because of that one time-”

Kes snorts into his beer. “One time.”

“Yes, one time!” Poe sits back with a huff, though he can’t quite resist the grin that appears on his face at Kes’ teasing.

“Alright, alright,” Kes says, waving him off. “Anyway, I needed to come over to tell my son that he did a lot of good today. You and Rey did a great job putting this together, raised a good amount of change for charity. As I already told her, I couldn’t be more proud of you two.”

“Hear, hear,” the others at the table join in, raising their red solo cups in a toast.

Poe grins and accepts their congratulations before looking towards Rey, who is smiling at him with her own cup raised. He tilts his cup toward hers before taking a sip.

Suddenly his ears are met with Jess’s loud, “We love you, Rey!”

“Love you too,” she yells back with a grin.

Poe’s heart warms at how easily she now shares affection with his friends. He knows it’s always been a challenge for her, understands the reasons why completely, but still, he can’t help how overjoyed he feels at how much like a family their little group of friends has become.

“It really shows that when people come together and work across the aisle how much good they can do,” Kes says, fondly.

Now it’s Poe’s turn to snort. “Work across the aisle? Dad, you know we’re in the same political party, right? Even share most of the same views on the issues.”

Kes rolls his eyes. “People who otherwise don’t work together coming together to do good stuff, that’s all I meant.”

“Yeah, Poe, we all know what he meant,” Karé says, a sly grin appearing on her face. “Or are you just too distracted by thoughts of other kinds of aisles, maybe? The kind that you go down together? Speaking of which Poe, when’s that gonna happen?”

Poe can’t help the flush that automatically comes to his cheeks, sees the way Jess grins in excitement and the way his father leans in eagerly to listen. They may be teasing him, but they’re closer to his actual thoughts than they might realize. Still, “Maybe I’m just distracted by the way my own father doesn’t trust me at the grill. Dad, you wound me,” he says pathetically, clutching his hand to his heart.

That works to distract everyone, and once again they’re bantering and teasing each other. While everyone else is sufficiently sidetracked, he sneaks a peek at Rey out of the corner of his eye, sees her talking and laughing with Finn and Rose, who has now joined them, and who is none the wiser to the conversation at the picnic table.

Poe breathes a sigh of relief. He has no doubt that Rey - smart, perceptive Rey - would have easily picked up on his thoughts.

He doesn’t want to ruin the surprise.

\--

Leia may have been in Europe, but that doesn’t mean he hadn’t been able to email her to ask for her advice. With her recommendation, he was able to find a hotel and secure a room near the top floor that had a small but cozy balcony, with the view of adjourning rooms blocked by tall but unobtrusive privacy fences.

However, there was nothing blocking the front of it, and the panoramic view of the DC skyline was open and astonishing.

It would be the perfect spot to watch the fireworks later.

As the afternoon came and went and nighttime approached, the picnic-goers started drifting off to their evening activities. Finn, Rose, and Paige were headed off to brave the crowds on the National Mall, while Snap, Karé, and Jess had plans to join some friends at a rooftop party at a local bar.

Kaydel just laughed and said she was headed home to change into her pajamas and watch the fireworks on television with some friends and a bottle of wine.

“Sounds nicer than trying to brave the National Mall,” Rey had responded. When Rose stuck her tongue out at Rey, she just shrugged and said, “You know I’m right.”

Paige agreed with Rey, earning her an elbow to the side from Rose. The two sisters had bickered then, no real heat on either side, earning them grins from the onlookers. Poe had grown up as an only child, and times like these almost made him wish for a sibling.

“What about you two?” Finn asked them then.

When Poe told them, Paige and Rose had stopped their bickering, and Rose cooed, “Aww, isn’t that romantic?”

While he thinks that was the full extent of Rose’s thoughts about his plans, considering the look Paige had given him then, he thinks she might have guessed his real intent for that evening.

Well, they’ll all know soon enough, Poe thought, wiping his suddenly clammy hands on his pants.

It’s not that he’s nervous about the decision, nor with the idea of asking her to be his wife. He knows he wants her to be his partner for the rest of his life, he knows that to his core.

No, he just wants to do it right. He wants it to be perfect for her, because she deserves that much, at least. She’s brought so much light, so much goodness, so much happiness into his life, that he wants to give her the world.

And if he can’t give her the world, he at least wants to make certain that she knows how deeply he feels for her.

He’s just not sure if he can find even half of the right words to adequately describe those feelings.

 _And they call him silver-tongued_ , he thinks with a shake of his head.

Once he helps his father load the grill and other supplies into the back of Kes’s truck, his father leans in and gives him a bear hug, one of those patented Kes Dameron affairs where it feels like you’re securely surrounded in warmth and safety and love.

“I’m so proud of you, son,” he whispers into his ear. “Your mother would be, too. You two make a good team.”

Poe pulls back a little, tears springing to his eyes. He doesn’t think his father knows the plan, at least not specifically. It’s true that Kes knows his son is head over heels for Rey and has been thinking of asking her to marry him for some time now. But Poe doesn’t think Kes knows that he’s planning to pop the question tonight.

Still, the words touch him deeply, and Poe squeezes his father’s shoulders once more, managing to utter a choked-up “I love you” before his throat closes from too many emotions.

“I love you, too, son,” Kes whispers back, as deeply affected as his son.

With a final goodbye, Kes gets in his truck, BB hopping in by his side to spend the night with Kes, while Poe walks back to Rey, scooping her hand up in his as he leans in for a kiss before they walk to his car.

It’s time to make their way to the hotel.

\--

“This is amazing, Poe!”

Rey spins in a circle in the middle of the room before taking a few steps over to the plush, king-size bed and, without further ado, plopping down on her back with a deep sigh of pleasure.

He walks over and, with exaggerated movements, plops down heavily beside her, earning a laugh from her as the impact of his body hitting the bed causes her to bounce slightly.

“You know, I didn’t exactly book the room for this reason, but if it makes you happy,” he trails off, grinning.

“I mean, I’m sure the view is nice, but this _bed_ , Poe,” she practically moans. She reaches her arms up over her head as she stretches out more fully, before turning over, one leg going over Poe’s as she moves to straddle him.

The grin she gives him is practically devilish.

His hands come to grip her hips, thumbs sliding just beneath the hem of her shirt to rub at the smooth skin above her waistband. She leans down to mouth over his neck, and he groans, tilting his head back to give her more room.

“You know I had plans,” he says. “Big plans. Panoramic view of the fireworks, champagne in those fancy little glasses,” and he can feel her smile against the sensitive skin of his neck. “And then the room service with its plethora of dessert options.”

She picks her head up and looks him straight in the eye. “You trying to woo me, Poe Dameron?”

“Is it working?”

She searches his eyes, a soft smile playing at the corner of her lips, before it turns into something even brighter. “Maybe,” she replies, as she swings her leg back over and jumps out of the bed, heading for the room service menu that sits on the nearby table. “Let’s see here.” She steps back to the bed, her gaze drifting away from the menu long enough to give him a once-over where he still reclines on the bed, propped up on his elbows. Her grin turns teasing once more. “That’s a good look for you, by the way. This will definitely be continued.”

She lays back down beside him, cuddling into his side as he wraps an arm around her shoulders. She reads over the menu, before asking, “When do the fireworks start?”

“About 9:00. We have an hour and a half or so,” he replies, looking at his watch.

“Good,” she says. “So, I was thinking,” she begins, before listing off a half-dozen items on the menu. After a lifetime of sacrifice and denial, he’s pleased that she’s grown to allow herself the freedom to try new things without fear or shame. He loves her enthusiasm, the way she throws herself into them, whether it’s new experiences or new foods, going after things with a gusto few others have.

“Don’t forget about breakfast,” he murmurs into her hair.

“Oh, you’re right. That’s a long way away, I should order more just to be on the safe side,” she teases.

In the end, they’re both still relatively full from the barbecue earlier at the park, but Poe can’t really say they kept their order light. There’s the mac and cheese, because Rey can never resist a mac and cheese wherever it may come from. There’s a separate cheese and fruit platter (“More cheese, Rey?” he asks, only to have her reply indignantly, “You can never have enough cheese!”) and French fries. If there ever was any doubt as to which way Rey’s tastes in food runs (and to be honest, his too, as he ponders the merits of ordering a cheeseburger for breakfast), they decide to add on some apple cobbler, a chocolate lava cake, and a plate of cookies.

When he gets off the phone after placing the order, with a bottle of champagne added to the list, she stares at him, wide-eyed, before breaking out in laughter. “This is unreal,” she says wonderingly.

He just walks over to her, scoops her hands up in his as he pulls her up from the bed and plants a kiss on that laughing mouth of hers he loves so much. “Sometimes you just need to live it up a little,” he says, hoping that she’s not suspecting anything yet.

They spend the next forty-five minutes exploring the room and each other. They somehow end up sprawled out on the bed once more, Rey beneath Poe with her hands under his shirt and skating over his back, while he’s cradling one of her long legs to his waist, when a knock sounds on the door followed by a voice announcing “Room service.”

Within minutes, their food is laid out on the small table, the champagne chilling in a bucket of ice. Her eyes have grown wide, and to be honest, so has his, as they take in the sheer amount of food in front of them.

They decide to save the bottle of champagne for after the fireworks which quickly approach. In the last few minutes before the show, Rey eagerly dives into the spread, spooning up heaping mouthfuls of mac and cheese followed by a hopeful glance towards the chocolate lava cake.

She eyes the cake first and then him. “Whatcha waiting for,” he asks with a grin, to which she promptly dives her spoon into the dessert. Her eyes widen in pleasure as she takes a bite, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she practically groans in pleasure.

But while she enjoys the food, his stomach has been roiling, his insides fluttering with nerves as the seconds tick down to the main event. He takes a few bites of the lava cake to appease Rey as she pushes it towards him.

She knows he’s as much of a chocolate fiend as she is. Even if it’s to alleviate some of the confusion, maybe even suspicion, springing to her eyes as he avoids much of the food he had been so eager to order just an hour ago, he takes several bites. For all that his stomach might be aflutter, his taste buds still manage to appreciate the taste, and Rey looks pleased as he enjoys the food, too.

They sense the change in atmosphere before they realize the time and they head out onto the balcony. There’s a small table, two chairs on opposite sides. Neither of them says anything as they each drag a chair towards the center, wanting to be close to the other while also enjoying the view.

They sense the world around them becoming more electrified, an increase in the music and the conversations and the sheer joy of the occasion drifting in from the world around them. Even secluded as they are with the privacy barrier, the energy in the air does nothing to set Poe’s nerves more at ease even as it stokes the excitement and potential for joy in his own gut.

The first firework explodes into the air and he watches the reflection of it in her eyes and the way the light bounces off her hair, her smile absolutely breathtaking.

After several long moments, he realizes he’s seen none of the fireworks for themselves, not until she pulls her gaze away from the dazzling displays of color to glance at him, a teasing smile on her face.

“The fireworks are out there, Poe,” she says, her voice tinged with laughter.

“I know,” he says so softly he worries it’s drowned out by the sheer noise of the spectacle.

Her gaze is fond even as she teases, “Came all this way and paid for the hotel room and you’re not even watching the fireworks. What ever will I do with you?”

“You’re absolutely incandescent, have I ever told you that?”

A blush springs high to her cheeks, visible even in the low light. “No, I think I would have remembered that particular turn of phrase.”

“I should’ve told you that sooner,” he says, reaching out to clasp her hand and bring it to his lips. “You’re brighter than all these fireworks.”

“It’s not nice to tease,” she says with a laugh.

“I’m not,” he says, simply. She turns to face him fully now, and while it’s clear she knows he’s not teasing her, would never tease her like that, the expression dawning on her face makes it obvious she senses something important is about to happen.

He wonders if she knows exactly what. He hopes it’ll make her as happy as she’s made him.

“Rey, you’re brilliant, and so, so bright. You fill my life with more light and color than I could have ever imagined. You’re absolutely magnificent.” He feels her grip his hand tighter, and he wonders if she has the same gravity-defying swoop happening in her stomach right now, too. “And you’re so strong, an incredible fighter. A warrior really, always fighting the good fight, defending those who can’t defend themselves, helping those who need a hand. And you make me stronger, too, and more compassionate.”

Rey’s eyes are intent on his and he holds them, unwilling to break the gaze. He swallows hard before continuing. “I couldn’t have done anything I’ve done in the past few years without your support. And I hope I’ve been able to be a support for you, too. We make an incredible, unstoppable team of badass politicos,” he says on a laugh, the sound thick with emotion, watches as she nods quickly, her eyes suspiciously wet. “You make me a better man, and I want you in my life forever.”

His hand starts to go for his throat before he remembers he had officially taken off the necklace hours earlier. His hand goes to his pocket instead, pulls out the ring where it still rests on the chain. “Sweetheart. My sunshine. Will you marry me?”

He sees her throat work as she swallows thickly a few times, but she’s nodding, a quick up and down motion, as a few tears spill from her eyes. It’s unusual to see tears from his beloved, and it pulls on his heartstrings, but the way she smiles so brightly comforts him in a way nothing else can.

“Yes!” She manages to say, her voice lower than usual, as she throws herself forward into his arms. He’s still got the necklace and ring clasped in one hand as he holds her tightly to him, both of them rocking back and forth.

“Say it again,” he can’t help asking of her, and he’s rewarded by her chants of “Yes” in his ear.

He pulls her more fully into his lap as she laughs all the while, not able to let her go for anything in the world.

“Poe! We can’t both fit in this chair,” she laughs, her mouth still close to his ear as they hold each other.

“I think you underestimate both me and this chair,” he replies, pressing his face into the space between her neck and shoulder, breathing her in.

After a few minutes he pulls back just far enough to see her face. There’s a soft, almost dopey, smile on her face, and he’s sure it’s reflected on his, but everything is just so good and right and full of love in this moment.

He remembers the ring, holds it up in front of her, sees her eyes dart to it and grow misty once more. She knows the story behind it. It’s not anything he ever tried to hide from her.

“I know you don’t like a lot of jewelry, but if you want a more traditional engagement ring, I’ll get you whichever one your heart desires. But I want you to have this. She’d want you have this. You’re my everything. You’re the one I’ve waited my whole life for.”

Rey leans in, presses her lips to his. It’s uncoordinated but full of feeling, and he can feel the dampness that lingers on her cheeks still. Even when she stops kissing him, she keeps her forehead resting against his, so close their breaths mingle together. “I love you, Poe. You’re my everything. I want you in my life forever.”

She takes the necklace and slips it over her head. The ring now rests on her chest, just above her heart.

Now it’s his turn to cry, a choked-up sob rising from his throat, to see the ring resting around the neck of his beloved. It’s as if the last puzzle piece in his life has finally fallen into place and it’s nothing but _joy, joy, joy_.

They exchange happy, if teary, kisses through the last of the fireworks, and Poe can’t stop smiling through them at all. A part of him just barely manages to register the noise in the air, the cheers of the crowds a befitting soundtrack to the events that transpired that evening, he thinks.

They linger on the balcony, neither of them wishing to move from the embrace of the other. They remain there long after the last of the fireworks had popped, remain there as the crowds pass by on the street below them on their way home or to some other festivity.

Suddenly, his phone, which sits in his pocket, vibrates, causing Rey to laugh and jump, as she’s sitting almost right on top of it.

“Sorry, sorry!” He exclaims, though he can’t help but quirk a smile at her reaction.

“You going to get that?”

He leans up to press a kiss to the soft skin beneath her ear. “Wasn’t planning on it.”

Rey sighs and leans into him further, angling her neck back to give him more room. “Could be important. Could be work. Or your dad.”

He just hums some noncommittal response into her neck, focused on more important activities. 

Suddenly he jumps and laughs as she pokes him in the side. “You should get it. I’ll wait,” and she pretends to sit primly even as he looks up at her with a pout.

“Well, if you insist.” It’s a bit of an effort to worm his phone out from his pocket and she doesn’t help, just grins, amused, while he struggles. Finally, he manages to grab it and glances at the screen. “It’s just Jess on the group chat, gossiping about some politicians that are at the party her and Snap and Karé are at.” He tosses the phone on the table and turns back to her, but before he can say anything else, he remembers the conversation from the picnic and laughs, nestling his head into her shoulder while he recovers.

When he finally picks his head up, she looks absolutely bewildered. “What is it?”

He shakes his head, still chuckling intermittently. “At the picnic earlier, when you and Finn were at the grill and me, Jess, Snap, Karé, and my dad were all at the picnic table, my dad said something. Something about how we came together to work on the baseball game and how it shows that when people come together to work across the aisle how much good they can do.”

“Work across the aisle? He knows we’re in the same political party, right?” Rey asks, confused.

“That’s what I said!” Poe chuckles again. “He just meant that we don’t normally work together but we were able to for this, apparently. So, then Karé decides to tease me, says they all knew what he meant and that I was too distracted by thoughts of other kinds of aisles.” Poe grins, raising his eyebrows at her with a knowing gaze.

After a moment, Rey’s eyes widen in realization and she looks equal parts amused and surprised. “She didn’t,” and when Poe just nods his head, she continues. “Did they know that you were going to do this tonight?”

“Nope. Well, I think they all knew it was going to happen soon, but not that it was going to be tonight. They were teasing me afterwards about when it would be.”

“What did you say?”

“I managed to distract them with my wit and charm.”

“You’re a terrible liar, Poe,” she grins, reaching a hand up to card her fingers through his hair. “Luckily I love you, anyway.”

“I know,” he teases, and she just rolls her eyes, leaning in to give him a slow, lingering kiss.

When she pulls away, she rests her forehead against his as she laughs lightly. “I can’t get over that story.”

“What can I say. They have me pegged,” Poe says, a hand running up and down her spine. He can’t get enough of touching her, now that they’re officially engaged. He smiles, a bit dopey, at the idea that soon he’ll be calling her his wife. Suddenly, he sees a devilish grin spread across her face. “What is it?”

“I think we should tell them.”

First, they make a quick call to his father who practically screams in excitement before demanding they put him on video chat so he can look at “his son and daughter” to which Rey started crying and then the rest of them joined in. It only ends after several more minutes of crying and exclamations of joy and a brief moment where Kes is seen dancing around his living room with BB in his arms all the while talking to the corgi of all the preparations he has to make for the wedding.

Afterwards, it takes Poe and Rey a few more minutes to wipe away the other’s tears and smooth down their hair (“Why won’t your curls cooperate?” Rey asks with a growl, Poe just shrugging unapologetically.)

Rey then grabs Poe’s phone and he presses in close to her as she angles the camera towards them. After a few flashes of light, she doublechecks the photos before pulling up his most recent text message chain.

There’s a handful of them on that message - Poe, Snap, Karé, and Jess - and Rey as well, whose phone remains inside. She types out a quick message to the group, signing it with her name.

_You know that topic you all were teasing Poe about earlier? – Rey_

That particular group may tease Poe about anything and everything, but he has no doubt they know exactly what topic Rey is referring to.

Sure enough, Jess’s name pops up a moment later. _Yes . . ._

Rey grins, her fingers flying. _Spoiler alert: sooner than you think._

With a few more clicks, the photo follows. Rey and Poe are pressed close together, both smiling widely, both clearly overjoyed. Poe’s face rests just inches below Rey’s, and just inches from where the ring, once so prominently featured around Poe’s own neck, now rests around Rey’s, the silver of it standing in stark contrast to the white of Rey’s shirt and her pale skin.

The response comes almost immediately. He’s never seen so many exclamation points in his life.

The first is from Jess – _OMG!!!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!_

The text from Karé comes seconds later. _I’m so happy for you two!!!!_

Snap, never to be outdone, sends one word. _Finally!_

Poe and Rey both laugh at that.

They quickly pull up a second group text, this time the one they share with Finn and Rose. Paige isn’t on it, but they know she’ll find out the second Rose does. They send the same photo and simply caption it _Engaged!_ and within moments they get a reply.

It’s also a photo. It’s sent from Finn’s phone but shows Rose and Paige hugging, the picture capturing them as they jump up and down in their excitement.

A second text comes seconds later. _In case you can’t tell, they’re very excited about the news. And so am I, this is fantastic! Congrats, you two!_

Poe can’t stop smiling, and looking over at Rey, neither can she. As if they weren’t already feeling wonderful and surrounded by love just by being next to the other, he can’t get over the wonderful friends they have, the way they all care for and support each other.

He’s a lucky guy, and he knows it.

His phone alerts them to more texts from both group chats. He and Rey both briefly scan over them, but she gets distracted quickly and uses her hand to press his face closer to hers as she kisses along the line of his jaw.

Both groups are asking for more details about the engagement, more details about when they can celebrate the good news.

They can wait. Within moments, he’s texted back, _Details later._

He sees another text quickly pop back up, but he ignores it, already clicking the buttons to set his phone on Do Not Disturb mode.

He’s a lucky guy, with the best friends in the world, but they can wait. He’s got more important things to take care of right now, such as the most wonderful woman in the world who sits cradled in his arms, trailing kisses along his neck.

He manages to stand up with her still in his arms (and he whispers a thankful prayer that he managed that without any noticeable difficulty, he’s not as young as he once was) and carries her into the room. Within moments, the champagne is open and the lights are off.

It’s time to celebrate.


End file.
